Catching Up With The Past
by Nakamura Ishimaru
Summary: Once upon a time, two not-so-young boys walked down the same road, but their destinies forced them to walk down different paths. One reminisces to honor his lost friend, the other seeks to remember the past for reasons that he has yet to understand. But does Fate have more in store for these two? AU Jack lived during the time of the Vikings. Jack and Hiccup friendship. Threeshot.
1. Memories that are Kept

**_OKAY! First off, this is my first fanfic in either fandoms, and my first crossover fic, so please go easy on me. I do love this crossover fandom, and I love 'The Big Four' or 'Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragon' crossover that's been trending. First off, this was inspired by a youtube video: "JackandHiccup *How to Save a Life* by Left4Dead4Ever2, who kindly gave me the permission to write a story loosely based on it. I suggest watching it, its' pretty good._**

**_Like the video, this is general and does not have any pairings unless if you really want it to, I guess. However, its only meant to be Jack Frost and Hiccup friendship/bromance. But you're free to interpret as Hijack/Frostcup. _**

**_Sorry if there will be any inconsistencies with canon or something. I tried to make this as close to what the movies portrayed, but still, It'll have to be AU.I won't give too much about the story, or else it'll spoil it. So be prepared for anything! =)_**

**Chapter summary****_: The war with the dragons is over, and Hiccup has brought in a new era of peace for his village. But, as the ring of dragon raids fall silent, the young Viking heir takes a moment to pay tribute to a friend of old, gone. _**

**Warnings and Notes****_: Follows canon of _****_How To Train Your Dragon_****_ and _****_Riders of Berk_****_, but is AU for _****_HTTYD 2_****_. Follows _****_Rise of the_****_Guardians_****_ plot but AU for Jack's background. Pre-_****_Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragon_****_ plot. Also, for clarity's sake, Hiccup defeated the Red Death at age 16, and Jack died saving his sister at age 14. Slightly depressing, possible OOC, depending on how you view the characters. Mentions of HiccupXAstrid. Hiccup and Jack Frost bromance/friendship._**

**Disclaimer****_: The _****_How To Train Your Dragon _****_and _****_Rise of the Guardians_****_ franchises both belong to Dreamworks and their respective owners. Basic story plot belongs to Left4Dead4Ever2. Teenage fanfiction writer here, nothing to see, move along._**

* * *

**PART 1 : ****MEMORIES THAT ARE KEPT**

When Hiccup slipped down the ice to a thousand feet below with only a board of wood, only one coherent thought entered his mind above his own screaming: '_Seriously, after everything that happened, EVERYTHING, I die like __**this**_?'.

And then, somehow, he was on top of the wooden plank, gliding down the icy slope. His panic turned to amazement, and he laughed gently in delight. This…this was fun. He tried to get a feel on how to manoeuvre on the board, and used his momentum from the fall to launch upward again.

Ever since meeting Toothless and becoming a dragon rider, he found it easier to take joy from unexpected things and have fun compared to the time he was alone and an outcast in his own village. He dared to continue this…this '_snowboarding'_, as he decided to call it, and tried to do a few stunts. He managed to succeed them, and howled in laughter. Like when riding Toothless, he could feel the adrenaline running through his veins, and he genuinely was enjoying his time…

…until the plank of wood he was riding on was caught by a Deadly Nadder. He didn't think that they meant to drop him then, probably thinking that he could 'fly' without the board, but that didn't change the fact that he was suddenly pummelling (again) towards the frost covered land.

Of course, a certain Night Fury couldn't just let his dear human fall to the snow. Toothless swooped in and caught Hiccup, and both rider and dragon flew in the air for a bit before settling on a high, snow covered cliff overlooking the sea.

"That was great, Toothless!" Hiccup laughed as he sat against the side of his dragon. Toothless growled in response to his human. "I mean, I've always had fun riding with you, bud, but, that was pretty fun itself..." He exclaimed happily.

Toothless only looked at his human imploringly.

"Oh, give me a break…I didn't know how to have fun before I met you, buddy. Not since – " Hiccup cut himself off, his mood becoming less joyful and more serious. He was in deep thought, his expression neutral, unconsciously trying to hide what his mind was processing. Toothless hadn't seen this kind of expression on Hiccup's face in a while. It was the boy's mask of indifference, and it was only there when he was emotionally hurt or sad.

Toothless gave Hiccup a nudge in the side with his tail, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Wha…? Oh, sorry, bud." Hiccup ran a hand though his hair, a gesture he only did when he was troubled.

Toothless continued to stare at the young Viking, silently asking him if he was okay.

"Hey, bud, have I ever told you about my best friend before I met you? His name was Jackson Overland, but he's mostly called Jack." Hiccup sighed, his gaze out on the open sea. "He always loved the winter, but loved the snow most of all. He always looked forward to playing in it…"

* * *

_"Hey, Hiccup!" yelled a ten year old brunette with a mischievous smirk. Said boy turned around, only to get a face full of snow._

_"Not fair, Jack!" a nine year old brunette shouted back as he wiped snow off his face with a glare at his friend. As soon as the last remains of snow were removed from his face, another snowball was hurled at him, hitting him so hard that he fell on his back with a yelp._

_"Whoops, sorry, Hiccup!" Jack said, though he didn't sound sorry at all. Hiccup could hear the smile in his friend's voice. Wiping the snow off his face but still not getting up, he saw the brown eyed boy standing over him, his hand outstretched._

_"Yeah, sure…since when were you sorry?" Hiccup muttered and took the hand. However, he made no effort to get up, instead pulling Jack down on the ground beside him, initiating a short-lived wrestling match between the two._

_"Seriously, Hiccup…" Jack panted a few moments later. "…You should try to have fun more! It's like every time you come here you're always so serious. I thought you wanted to play, not pout." _

_"Yeah, well…" Hiccup panted, trying to avoid his friend's stare. "..Things aren't exactly good on the northern village of Berk. We keep getting dragon raids almost every other night now. My dad's been pretty busy defending the village, so I don't see him much unless he's getting a bunch of weapons from the forge. It's like…It's like, ever since Mom…" He didn't finish his sentence, instead hiding his eyes with his bangs and looking away._

_Jack's playful smile turned sad, empathizing with his friend. He knew Hiccup's mother had died not less than a year ago, and Hiccup had gone to a depression after that. Jack had spent the last few months trying to get Hiccup to open up like he used to when they were little (well, 'littler,' as Hiccup always said, albeit bitterly). With his father ignoring Hiccup, Jack knew that he and his own mother and sister became Hiccup's family. He already considered him a brother, after all._

_"Hey, come on, buddy. I'll always be here, you know?" Jack said with a smile. Hiccup's glanced back at him, and then broke into a smile too. Hiccup tackled his friend to the ground again, this time kneeling over him._

_"You don't think I know that?" Hiccup said._

_"Just reminding you, Fishbone." Jack replied with a grin._

_They both laughed._

* * *

"We…" Hiccup sighed. "Well, we were pretty close, though my dad didn't know about it. There are two villages here on Berk, actually. We're the northern village, Jack's from the south. There's always been a feud between the two, and it only came to a truce to pretend the other didn't exist." Hiccup explained, sighing deeply.

"As the son of my dad, I couldn't make friends from the southern village. I had to keep it a secret." He continued. A part of him idly thought that his friendship with Jack was like his friendship with Toothless; on both occasions, he had to keep silent.

"He had a younger sister, too. Her name's Sarah. I knew her pretty well. She always tagged along every time Jack and I went on one of our 'adventures'. I knew his mother, too. She used to be kind to me…"

* * *

_"Hiccup, dear. Come in!" Jack's mother smiled at the young boy on her doorstep, allowing the boy to pass through._

_"Hey, Hiccup." Jack waved from inside. "Hope you don't mind, Sarah wants to come along. I said yes."_

_Hiccup smiled at the little girl who hid behind her brother with a faint blush on her cheeks. "No problem. Good to have you for the ride, Sarah." He held out his hand to her, palm in front, waiting for a high five from the girl. She returned it meekly. _

_"What are you boys planning to do today, then?" Ms. Overland asked._

_"Hiccup and I are going to have a snowball war! I'm so going to beat you." Jack exclaimed excitedly, addressing the last part to Hiccup._

_Hiccup smirked at his friend. "Too bad for you, I've been working at the forge with Gobber, the blacksmith. I've invented a –"_

_"Yeah, yeah, inventing stuff." Jack interrupted Hiccup, pretending to yawn with boredom. "You're still going to lose."_

_"Boys, wouldn't that be dangerous? It's extra cold today, and you could get hurt. And what would Sarah do while you boys fight?" Jack's mother asked, concern evident in her voice._

_"Oh, don't worry, Ms. Overland." Hiccup smiled up at her brightly. "We'll be extra careful, I promise. And Sarah can be the referee, that way, if there's a foul in the game, she'll be the one to stop us. Or if either one of us gets hurt, but I promise that won't happen. Would you like that, Sarah?" _

_Behind him, Jack was mimicking Hiccup's words with his hand, randomly opening his own mouth but with a bored expression. Sarah tried to say yes to Hiccup, but was overcome by giggles at her brother._

_Catching on the joke, Hiccup whirled around. "Jack!"_

_Jack only grinned at his friend, slinging his arm around the younger boy's shoulder, turning him back to face his mother._

_"We'll be fine, mom." Jack said._

_His mother only rolled her eyes "Alright, alright. You can go. At least one of you is-" She never finished her sentence, because Jack had already dragged Hiccup out the door, Sarah trailing behind. Shaking her head lightly, she noticed that her son was only wearing his shirt, vest and pants._

_"Jack!" She called. "Come back here, you forgot you're cloak. You'll catch a cold." _

_"Don't worry, Ms. Overland!" Hiccup called back over his shoulder. He unhooked his own cloak and tossed it to his friend, who caught it and started putting it on himself. "I brought an extra, just in case. We'll be back before sunset." _

_The three of children all turned back to her and waved, Jack pointing at the boy beside him and smiled cheekily at his mother before turning back. Ms. Overland only shook her head, smiling lightly. _

_"That young Viking," She muttered to herself. "May not have a big build, but he does have a big heart." _

* * *

Hiccup smiled slightly at the memories. This was before he had met Toothless, before he had that urge to make his mark in his village. That was a time when he was innocent, when all he wanted was to have fun, too.

"But, one night," Hiccup addressed his dragon, who watched him sceptically. "We decided that it was cold enough to go ice skating the next day. Jack insisted that it would be fun, and he'd bring Sarah along for the ride. I never realized how bad that plan was. That was…" Hiccup trailed off. He drew his knees closer to his chest, putting his cross arms on top of them. He let the memory of their last encounter wash over him, pulling him into the past.

* * *

_Thirteen year old Hiccup was making his way through the forest, the only means there was to travel between the northern and southern villages of Berk. He had wanted to come at their agreed meeting place earlier, but because of a 'talk' with his dad that morning, his departure from the village was delayed. _

_Nearing the lake they had agreed to skate on, Hiccup couldn't help the smile on his face. Jack was the only person his age that treated him like a human being, like he wasn't someone beneath him. Sure, he played a lot of tricks on the younger boy, but it was all in good fun. He knew Jack's sister and mother, who accepted him as a part of their family too. Heck, considering that no one in his village knew who he was or cared, he could probably move to Jack's village without either parties protesting._

_'Besides,' he mentally said bitterly 'Jack, Sarah and Ms. Overland are more of a family to me than my dad is now.' It was something he had come to terms with, if he were to believe in the saying that home was where the heart is. Considering that his heart wasn't in his father anymore, not in his own village anymore, then surely, his home was with Jack and his family, right? Jack was already a brother to him…_

_His thoughts were interrupted when he came upon the lake. He saw Jack for about half a second before the ice cracked beneath him and he fell through. He noticed Sarah nearer to him, but still on ice that seemed too thin. The fate of his friend had yet to register in his mind, but he did manage to run to his sister, grab her by the waist and run back to the snow covered ground._

_"Hic…Hiccup…Jack…is he…is he..?" Sarah said, biting her lip, tears already rolling down her face._

_Hiccup couldn't breath. His mind was only beginning to register what happened. Jack, his best friend, his only friend, was gone. Lost beneath the freezing ice he loved. _

_Hiccup sucked in a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Jack…was dead. Gone. Lost. __**Forever**__._

_"I...he…he's…he's gone, Sarah…he's gone…" Tears formed at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He had to be strong, strong for Sarah, Jack's little sister, whom Jack loved more than he loved himself._

_"He…he tried…to make…it…a game…pushed me out…then the ice…ice cracked…he…he…" Sarah sobbed, hugging Hiccup around the middle, burying her face in his shirt._

_Hiccup could tell even from where he stood that the ice was too thin to support a person's weight. Jack, of course, would not have taken the time to check. He was reckless like that. He once commented that the reason he and Hiccup became quick friends was because the latter had to balance out his daredevil attitude._

_Had Hiccup been there, he would've warned Jack not to skate on the ice._

_ If he had been there, Jack wouldn't have died._

_Becoming aware of the little girl's arms around him, he knelt down to embrace her properly as well, acting as her comfort when her brother was not there to give it. She sobbed into his shoulder, and he didn't stop his own tears falling onto the cold ground._

_"Come…come on, Sarah…I'll take you home." Hiccup said in a wavering voice. Sarah nodded but did not let go. Instead, Hiccup carried her home, allowing her to continue to cry into his tunic. _

_As he walked unsteadily through the snow, he decided he would be the one to break the news to their mother, not Sarah. He had to spare the girl from more heartbreak. Even if it meant his own. _

_Her brother, his best friend, Jack, had just died. He could have prevented it, but he wasn't there. _

_To him, only one thing kept repeating itself over and over in his head…_

* * *

"It was my fault." Hiccup whispered to himself. "It was my fault he died. I should've been there."

He stayed silent for a while. Toothless understood, really he did, what his boy was feeling. Hiccup's gaze was distant again, seemingly looking at the past instead of what was in front of him. The Night Fury gave a soft growl, silently comforting his human.

Hiccup wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, only then noticing the tears that had started to roll down his cheeks. After a few moments, he stood up and smiled gently at his dragon.

"It's okay, buddy. I just remembered him because of the snow and fun times. If he were here, he probably would've enjoyed that snowboarding I just did." Hiccup said, trying to hide the sadness in voice. "I've done my best to honour him. Come to think of it, I think he would've loved to meet you, Toothless."

Said dragon gave a purr, standing up and shaking a bit as he did so. Hiccup petted him.

"Yeah, I know, bud. I'll see him again, one day, I think. Hey, maybe you guys could meet then, huh?"

Toothless continued to gaze at his rider, earning him a light chuckle from the boy.

"Yeah, that'll definitely happen. Come on, bud. Let's go home." Hiccup mounted Toothless in one swift motion, and then they were off in the air, darting between the clouds or dropping down to graze the sea. Boy and dragon flew together as one, trusting each other completely, throwing all grief and worries to the wind as they dominated the sunset sky.

* * *

For a certain white haired spirit of winter, it was a coincidence for Jack to be there when the kid when he slipped and fell. Knowing that he probably wouldn't survive the fall, the spirit had flown down to cushion the kid's fall with his wind, but was surprised when he managed to get the board below him and navigate the icy terrain. He followed him as he did his exhibition, silently amazed by how a regular human being could be so in-control as much as Jack was with the ice.

But when the kid's board lodged itself into the teeth of some wicked dragon which promptly let the boy fall back to the white covered ground, Jack flew as fast as he could to catch him, fearing that the teen might cause permanent damage to himself.

He was rather startled – okay fine, frightened – when a black dragon caught the boy, thinking that the reptile would eat the kid. But when he caught up to the beast, he saw that they seemed to be friends, as the boy rode him as if he belonged there.

The dragon landed and the boy jumped off. Only then did Jack notice that the kid had only one leg: the other was a crudely made metal prosthetic. The boy seemed about sixteen to Jack, and he idly wondered how someone so young could lose a limb. He considered talking to the kid, but he seemed to be deep in thought – talking about some friend of his that died and that it was his fault, apparently.

Part of him wanted to throw a snowball at the boy, just for fun, but the dragon he was with seemed to be able to see him, and regarded him with narrow eyes. So Jack decided to leave the kid alone, instead trying his hand at this 'snowboarding' the kid did. Upon seeing that the spirit would not harm his owner, the dragon's pupils dilated and turned his attention back to his boy.

As he made his own tricks in the air while riding his staff as a board, he noticed the kid flying once again oh his dragon, this time away from the glacier they were in. Jack was having too much fun snowboarding to follow him, but he was pretty sure he wouldn't forget the kid.

It was the first time Jack had seen the boy, but he silently hoped he'd run into the scrawny kid again someday. He seemed interesting to Jack, and it probably took an interesting person to be able to see Jack Frost, the winter spirit.

Enjoying himself too much, Jack continued his little trick of fun, throwing himself to the mercy of the wind.

_- End of Part One -_

* * *

**_Yeah, so that's the plot. Jack and Hiccup are childhood friends. But there's more significance to the story than just Hiccup. Everything happens for a reason. But what reason was it for Jack to know Hiccup, and yet not meet him? More info next chapter._**

**_So, what do you think? Tell me, I'd love to hear! There will be three parts in all, and honestly I've already written them, but I wanna see first whether this'll get any attention. I really wanna know how much love this fandom/crossover thing can get. I'm considering posting this on tumblr, or a t least a preview._**

**_Oh, and for those who don't know where the Hiccup scene came from, its from something called 'Racing For The Gold' which was a bunch of TV adds featuring the HTTYD gang. In one of them, it shows that Hiccup was the one who invented snowboarding, after falling down some ice. I wasn't sure if it was cannon, but I thought it'd be cool._**

**_Anyway, Thanks for reading! ^.^_**


	2. Tales of the Forgotten

**_So I kinda felt guilty about starting another story without posting the second chapter to this. So, yeah...here it is...This is the longest chapter among the three, and is what I initially just wanted to write, but, well, plot bunnies and stuff xD Anyway, this is in no way connected with my other story, 'The Weight of a Cape'. Anyway, for all those who reviewed, favorited and followed the first part, thank you very much, and I'm glad someone liked it. Hope this'll fullfill expectations._**

**_Again, this is loosely based on the story of a youtube video "JackandHiccup *How to Save a Life*" by Left4Dead4Ever2, and I highly recommend watching it, its' pretty good._**

**Chapter Summary****_: Lesser beings threaten the peace brought by the defeat of Pitch Black, but Jack is distracted by strange dreams of his past. Man in Moon has sent these to Jack Frost, and he is determined to find out who the boy in his dreams are, and how they are connected. _**

**Warnings and Notes****_: Follows canon of How To Train Your Dragon and Riders of Berk, but is AU for HTTYD 2. Follows Rise of the Guardians plot but AU for Jack's background. Pre-Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragon plot. Also, for clarity's sake, Hiccup defeated the Red Death at age 16, and Jack died saving his sister at age 14. Slightly depressing, possible OOC, depending on how you view the characters. Mentions of HiccupXAstrid. Hiccup and Jack Frost bromance/friendship._**

**_Disclaimer: The How To Train Your Dragon and Rise of the Guardians franchises both belong to Dreamworks and their respective owners. Basic storyplot by Left4Dead4Ever2. Teenage fanfiction writer here, nothing to see, move along._**

* * *

**PART 2 : ****TALES OF THE FORGOTTEN**

"How? How could this happen?"

"I've been asking myself the same question, mate."

"I do not know how it happened, but something must be done!"

"No question about it! But we should ask Manny on what to do."

"I already did and…"

Jack Frost, the newest member of the Guardians, slowly drifted in and out of consciousness. The conversation the three were having – North, Bunnymund and Toothaina – was disinteresting him. Really, what harm could a few left-over nightmares do? It'd be easy as pie for the guardians to be rid of them all but for some reason, Jack did not feel the need share his opinion, instead allowing sleep to take him.

Literally. Sandy was beside him, purposely letting his gold sand frolic around the winter guardian's head. Because of this, or perhaps the soft autumn breeze that blew across his face as leaves of different colours danced in the air around him, he was having another one of those dreams.

During the few times he slept since becoming a Guardian, it was normal for him to dream about his life before Jack Frost, especially since claiming his memory from Tooth's palace. He often dreamed of Sarah, making her laugh, pulling pranks on her, playing with her and her friends. He also tended to dream about his mother, too, her kind smile, that glint in her eye when he did something wrong, but never scolded him harshly for it.

However, for the past few months, when he did get to sleep, he didn't see his sister or his mother. Instead, he kept dreaming of someone else, a thin boy with the same brown hair he used to have, green eyes and freckles on his face. He often had dreams of himself and the boy playing, talking, fishing…anything, really. He'd tried to think back to the memories from his Tooth box, but the boy never appeared in them. He wasn't sure then who the boy was, but the dreams kept coming, forcing him to remember. The boy himself looked so vivid in his dreams, he could clearly remember his face after waking up. And just like them, he dreamt of the boy while in the meeting with the guardians.

* * *

_It was a cool autumn day in the forest. He was his younger self, watching the other boy from afar, hiding carefully so as not to be detected. The boy a few meters away had his back to him, frantically searching around. Little Jack took a deep breath, set his jaw, then tackled the other boy to the ground._

_The other boy fell with a yelp, falling face forward. Jack sat on top of him, giggling. He held the boy's hands behind his back, forcing him to stay on the ground._

_"I win! I win!" Jack laughed. _

_"Okay, okay, fine, now get off me!" the other boy said gruffly. Jack complied, and helped him back to a sitting position. The two boys grinned at each other._

_"You're no fair, Jack!" The other boy said "Its hide-and-seek, not hide-and-attack!" _

_"Aww, come on! A little mischief can't be bad! It's actually a good thing, H – "_

* * *

"Jack! Jack!" Toothiana's voice cut through his dream, effectively waking him up. All the other guardians were staring at him, North and Bunnymund looking irritated, Toothiana and Sandy concerned.

"Jack, did you get that?" Toothiana's asked.

"Uhm, left over nightmares, guardians must defeat…?" He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment "I might've fallen asleep when you were arguing."

"We were saying – "Bunnymund rolled his eyes, exasperated. Even after their friendship during Pitch's attack, the winter spirit still got on his nerves. " – although Pitch isn't rising again, the nightmares are pretty strong themselves. We guardians can't handle them on our own."

Now Jack was paying attention. "Not handle them? We took Pitch down, we can handle a few of his nightmares."

North shook his head at the three hundred year old teen. "And what has that caused us then? All the children had forgotten us, even for just a while. No, Manny has guided us. We shall not be the one to fight these nightmares."

Now Jack was pissed off, and it showed in his voice. "But I thought that was the guardian's duty, why we're actually here. If not, then what are we sticking around here for? If Manny says it's not our job, then it isn't. If you'll excuse me…" Jack was about to fly off, when a golden rope wrapped itself around his torso, rotating him to face the rest of the guardians.

"You do not understand, lad." Bunnymund said. "It ain't our fight as guardians, its' yours."

"Okay, hold up." Jack glared at them. "First you tell me we can't handle them, then you tell me that we shouldn't have to, then you tell me that **I** have to handle them? What is this, pick on the rookie day?"

"Its not like that, Jack." Toothiana said gently, but Jack wouldn't hear it. He managed to break Sandy's sand enough for him to get out, and he promptly flew out of the nearest window in North's mansion.

He knew he was being immature and unfair, but, although he wouldn't admit it, these dreams he kept having were starting to annoy him, and he questioned whether a nightmare was paying tricks on his mind, too. He wasn't in the mood for the guardians' arguments, so he found it better to simply leave and clear his head before he'd end up saying something he'd regret later.

He didn't go far, though, instead settling on a glacier at the northern pole. The glacier was small, he had to admit, probably due to the increasing heat the globe had. He was pretty sure he had been here once before, when it had been bigger, grander…more exciting.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the dream. Instead, a different image popped in his head – a boy, around sixteen, gliding down the slopes on a piece of wood, having as much fun as Jack was watching him navigate the icy slopes.

Jack opened his eyes and inhaled sharply. The boy in his dreams was the same boy who was snowboarding then, hundreds of years ago, when Jack had only explored a fraction of the globe.

But then, how could that be? If the boy existed during his time before being a winter spirit, how could he exist when he was already Jack Frost? Then again, Jack had no concept of time then, a hundred years to him could have been only ten or so. Perhaps he knew him? But even that didn't seem right. Surely he would've recognized the boy. Then again, if nightmares were really going around, perhaps one had gotten to him, putting fake images inside his head. But if that were true, which memory was false? Unless both of them were false…?

Jack kicked a pile of snow in frustration. All this information was giving him a headache. Guessing about it and making theories wouldn't help him, and he could continue to speculate about the situation long into the night, and none of his possible answers could be correct. Not without knowing more.

Jack sighed. He knew he couldn't let it go, or else the dreams would continue. If he really did have to fight the nightmares, he didn't want to be distracted by something like this. Therefore, he had to figure out who that boy was, and what his connection to Jack could be, if there was one at all.

As he contemplated what to do, a golden hand rested itself on his shoulder, snapping Jack out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"Oh, hey, Sandman…" Jack murmured. "…sorry about earlier."

Sandman responded with a gentle smile, letting the guardian know that all was well and he was not angry. Instead, a question mark formed atop his head, asking Jack what was wrong.

It took Jack only a moment before he decided that he could trust Sandy enough to tell him about his dilemma. So he did, from the dreams he was having, to the resurfaced memory just then. Sandy listened intently, not interrupting anything with his sand.

"I don't know who that kid is, or why he's in my dreams. You didn't put them in my head, did you?"

Sandy shook his head. An image of a man with a fishing rod sitting on a cresent moon appeared above him in gold sand.

"Man in Moon?" Jack asked. "You think he's sending me these dreams? But what for?"

Sandy shook his head again.

"If he's the one sending me those dreams," Jack thought aloud. "I have to figure out who that kid is. But I…" He sighed. "..I don't know how."

Sandy looked thoughtful for a moment, until he snapped his fingers in delight, a light bulb forming above his head.

"What is it, Sandy? Got an idea…" Jack began, trailed off when his eyelids felt heavy. He closed his eyes, and was lulled into sleep, no doubt a doing by the Sandman himself.

* * *

_"I win! I win!" a young Jack laughed. He was sitting on top of another boy, also with brown hair, but with a smaller frame._

_"Okay, okay, fine, now get off me!" said the smaller boy. Jack complied, and helped the other sit up. The boy grinned at Jack, and Jack grinned back._

_"You're no fair, Jack!" The other boy said. "Its hide-and-seek, not hide-and-attack!" _

_"Aww, come on! A little mischief can't be bad," Jack said, ruffling the boy's hair. "It can actually be a good thing, Hiccup."_

_"Whatever, Jack. Just be quiet."_

_Jack stuck his tongue out at his friend. "Not on your life, Hiccup."_

* * *

Jack was gently brought awake by Sandy shaking his shoulder. Jack managed to clear his mind, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Hiccup…so that's his name…" He began, then formed a face. "What kind of a name is that?"

Sandy quirked an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, doesn't matter. At least now I know his name…but…" Jack gazed at the golden man. "What am I going to do with it?"

Golden sand formed a tooth above Sandy's head, then the face of one of their fellow Guardians. The expression on his face clearly said '_duh_'.

Jack broke into a grin.

"You're a genius, Sandy!" Jack howled. "Thanks!" He shook the man's hand in gratitude and proceeded to fly as fast as he could in the direction of Toothiana's palace, where she stored everyone's teeth and memories, including this elusive Hiccup.

Sandy only smiled at the trail of snow the winter guardian left behind before he too flew off to the night to spread blissful dreams among the sleeping children.

* * *

When Jack arrived at Tooth's palace, he was greeted by Baby Tooth and a few of her friends.

"Hey, Baby Tooth…yeah, I missed you too." He said.

"Jack!" Toothiana exclaimed once she caught sight of him.

"Hey, Tooth. I need a favour. Could I ask for the tooth box of one of my old friends?" Jack was quick to the point.

"Oh, well, you see, lending out teeth that doesn't belong to them is against my policy. And you wouldn't be able to open it. It would be – " She began but was cut off.

" Please, Tooth, please. This is important." Jack pleaded. Toothiana studied him, then her eyes softened.

"Is this in any way related to why you stormed off earlier?" She asked gently.

"Yes, it is. It is with everything." Jack said. Toothiana continued to study him, unsure whether she'd allow him this.

"Please, Tooth. Its' just one person's teeth. I think I have a connection with him, somehow. His name's Hiccup. Please." Jack was close to getting on his knees at that point.

Realization dawned on Toothiana's face, but for reasons unknown to Jack. She did smile at him though, and flew over to a section of tubes that contained teeth. Pulling out three different containers, she flew back to Jack.

"Only three people have Hiccup in their names and they are all named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock." She said, showing him the faces at the ends of the three containers. One had bright red hair and a rough face, another had black hair and a chubby face, while the last one had brown hair and a freckled face.

"Descendants?" Jack asked.

Toothiana nodded. "Yes. Now, my policy strictly states that I can only lend out teeth to their owner, but with you I'll make an exception. However, you will have to choose which one." She said.

He could remember the boy's face clearly in his head, so it was not that hard for him to choose which one. He chose the last one, the face with brown hair.

"That, Jack," Toothiana said with a smile "Is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, the last to carry the name."

Jack gave her a grateful nod. "Thank you so much, Tooth. This means a lot to me."

Tooth gave him a smile. "Baby Tooth will open it for you. You can give it back to her when you're done." She smiled brightly at him. "I hope you find what you're looking for, Jack. I know you will."

The way she said it and the expression on her face made him feel that she knew more than she was letting on, the same way Sandy was earlier. He tried not to think about it much, instead bidding goodbye to his friend. After making sure Baby Tooth was secure on his shoulder, He took flight.

Jack wanted a quiet, private place to open the memory box. He wasn't sure what to expect, and he didn't want to cause a freak blizzard because of what he might see in this Hiccup's memories. He finally decided to settle back on the glacier where he first met him (since becoming Jack Frost, that is). That way, if anything happened that could change the weather, he wouldn't be affecting anyone.

Only when he arrived at the glacier did he notice that it was night. He stared up at the full moon, and imagined Manny looking down on him.

"If your sending me these dreams," He addressed "then it means that its something important. Well, I hope what I'm doing is right."

Baby Tooth looked at him imploringly, waiting for his signal to open the memory box. He still had his doubts, but he knew that he had to discover the truth with this boy. He didn't know, but maybe it could affect him somehow, or affect the future.

He took a moment to stare at the face on the box. Slowing his heartbeat as best as he could, he nodded to Baby tooth and the she opened the memory box.

* * *

Upon opening the memory box, Jack shifted through Hiccup's different memories. He could not interact with anything or anyone, and things seemed to pass through him, much like when no child believed he existed. 'Probably because these memories aren't mine' he thought to himself.

Among the various memories he saw, what stood out were the memories Hiccup had of Jack. Their first meeting, Hiccup was only six, and himself was seven. Jack accidentally triggered a trap Hiccup made in the forest, leading to Jack hanging upside down by a rope attached to his ankle.

"So, that's why I had a rope burn on my ankle." He chuckled to himself.

He saw various other memories of Hiccup and himself, playing, pulling pranks on each other, play-fighting, doing what young boys usually did. One memory was when he had invited Hiccup to his home on the southern village. Hiccup, apparently, was from the northern village, and it was apparently taboo for either one to associate with the other.

"But you're Stoick the Vast's son, right?" Jack's mother asked while he was there.

"Yes…"

"Then does that mean one day you're gonna be the chief of the northern village then?" Jack followed.

"I…I think so…" Hiccup answered meekly. '_Heh,'_ Jack thought '_for a kid with a horrid name, he sure looks cute_.'

"So, when you become chief, you could come visit us south village without hiding it from your dad, huh?" Jack asked, eyes hopeful.

Hiccup considered for a moment "If I were chief, the village can't do anything if I decide to make friends with the south village, 'cause I'm the chief." Hiccup grinned "Yeah, you're right!"

The older Jack smiled lightly, as he was sucked into another memory. This time, he saw a nine year old Hiccup walking through what he assumed was his own village, overlooking the sea. He passed by a group of kids his age but with larger bodies. As he walked, the group taunted him, throwing insults at the boy, not caring if he heard them or not.

"And you expect yourself to become Berk's chief?" said one particular boy with meaty limbs and greasy black hair. "No way! I'd make a way better chief! Hey, since I'm the second in line after you, why don't you go die somewhere, then I'll be chief."

Jack's fist clenched. Was this how Hiccup was treated in his own village? He was just a kid!

Hiccup paused walking, his eyes dark, and Jack wished he'd defend himself. Instead, he continued walking, this time towards the forest. Jack followed him, and was not surprised when he made his way towards Jack's old house. Knocking on the door, he greeted Jack flatly, but Jack (both the real one and the one in the memory) noticed that tears were forming at his eyes.

Jack let Hiccup in, and sat him down on a chair in what Jack remembered was his room.

"What's wrong, Hic?" He asked, his usual mirth absent from his voice, replaced only by concern.

"The battle ships returned today. My mom…" He looked away. The young Jack put an arm around his friend.

"She's wasn't on it, Jack. She's not returning. She's gone." Hiccup said it without emotion, but the tears rolling down his face and his slumped position was enough to show Jack Frost how much he was fighting to contain his emotions.

Ten year old Jack switched positions and placed both his arms around his friend, embracing him. Hiccup remained stationary for but a moment, before accepting the comfort. Jack rubbed Hiccup's back gently, and the younger boy gripped the other's cloths in his palms.

Real Jack watched the scene, admiring the friendship he shared with young Hiccup. Considering that the kids in his own village ridiculed him, Jack concluded that he was really was Hiccup's first, if not only friend.

The memory faded out and several more went in passing, most were of Hiccup acting a bit distant and solemn, as if he had lost the will to be alive. In those memories, the young Jack repeatedly reminded Hiccup to have fun, or to remember that Jack was not going to leave him anytime soon.

At some point, Hiccup was starting to come out of his brooding shell and return to how he was before his mother died. At one point, Jack was in the memory had had dreamt about earlier during the meeting with the fellow guardians.

As one scene shifted into another, Jack realized that most of these memories were his dreams for the past few months, which had sparked his interest to learn more about the boy. 'This means that those were really my own memories, and not nightmares.' He thought to himself.

When he noticed that one of the memories he was in was not one that he was familiar with, because it did not appear in his dreams, like the one where Hiccup ran into other Viking kids. Jack decided to pay closer attention.

A thirteen year old Hiccup was in his bed when his father opened the door, allowing cold wind to enter the room.

"Hiccup!" his father roared, and the boy shot out of his bed. "We need to talk."

"Okay, dad…what's going on?" Hiccup rubbed at his eyes sleepily.

"I've been hearing things from Gobber and the other kids your age." Stoick said. "How many times have I told you to stop making all these…these things – "

"You mean my inventions? But dad – "

"No buts, Hiccup. They're not helping!" Stoick raised his voice at his son. "How many times have I told you! You're a Viking! You have to stop doing, being, all this." He waved his hand in the air.

"You just gestured to all of me."

"That's it! Stop being you." Stoick said, as if that would solve whatever problem he was having. Jack, though he couldn't be heard by the two, let out a loud "What?!"

"But dad! I can't just – " Hiccup began, getting up from the bed to stand, but was cut off again.

"I don't want to hear anything about it. The ships leaves in fifteen minutes, I don't intend to hold them up. We'll be back in two months, at the shortest. I don't want to hear anything about you when I get back, do you hear me?"

Hiccup looked away angrily, not answering.

"Are we clear?" His father asked, his voice so dark it was on the verge of threatening.

"Fine." Hiccup responded. Stoick nodded before leaving the room.

"Hiccup!" Jack yelled, though he knew the boy couldn't hear him. "Seriously, is this what you go through on a daily basis?"

The boy ran a hand through his hair, but broke into a grin. "Oh, yeah, Jack wanted to meet at the lake to go skating." He exclaimed, putting on his boots, grabbing his cloak and out the door.

"Skating?" Jack said, his eyes widening in horror "No, today's that day?" He said. He heard the front door slam. Flying to catch up with the running boy, he already recognized the landscape they were one.

No doubt about it – today was the day he had died.

Jack saw from above what Hiccup saw that day: himself, falling into the dark waters after the ice beneath him gave way. Hiccup seemed at a loss, but when he noticed the ice under Sarah cracking, he ran to her and got her out of the frozen lake.

Jack was thankful. Now he was sure that his sister really was safe that day, and that he really managed to save her. He did note, that, had Hiccup not been there to finally get her out of the lake, his sacrifice would've been in vain.

Jack's heart broke when Sarah started sobbing into Hiccup, the boy also crying himself. Jack watched sadly as Hiccup carried her, presumably to take her home.

_Mom_. Jack's eyes widened. How did she take learning that her only son had drown on a cold winter day?

Jack watched Hiccup slowly lower Sarah without letting go of the girl when he was in front of the house to knock. His mother opened the door, but before she could say anything, Sarah had detached herself from Hiccup and clung to her mother.

"Sarah, what's wrong, sweetie?" She knelt down to the eight year old girl and looked at Hiccup from atop her daughter's head. "Hiccup, dear, what happened? Where's Jack?"

Hiccup bit his lip, and Jack saw that his eyes flickered to stare at the ground before looking to his mother intently.

"Ms. Overland…I…I'm sorry…but…but the lake Jack – " Hiccup gulped, forcing down tears " – the lake we chose wasn't frozen enough to skate on. I only caught a glimpse of him before he went under…"

His mother's face turned from caring, to concern, to shock, then despair. "You mean, he…he's…" Tears were forming in her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry…Jack drowned…He's…he's dead." Hiccup finished, his sorrow shown clearly on his face.

Jack sighed sadly. His sister watched him die, and his mother had to receive the news from his friend. She buried her face into the shoulder of her daughter, shaking slightly. Hiccup stood in front of them, shaking as well, crying.

"I…I'm sorry…I wasn't there…I should've…I should've been there…I should've…" Hiccup began, furiously wiping at the tears on his face. Jack stared sadly. Hiccup blamed himself for his death. That much was obvious.

Then something unexpected happened. His mother suddenly looked up from crying, pinning Hiccup with a glare so fierce that even Jack stumbled back. He'd never seen his mother like this.

"You…" she said, voice angry. "You were the responsible one. I trusted you to look after my children." Jack's eyes widened in shock. What on earth was his mother doing?

"I…I didn't mean to…" Hiccup took a step back, but slipped, landing on his back, but propped himself up on his shoulders. "…I swear, I would've done anything, everything to bring Jack back! Honest!"

"You knew Jack could be reckless!" His mother hissed "You should've been there, you should've saved him." Jack's mother's eyes were filled with anger. Though no one was there to see it, Jack own waere filled with disbelief.

"No…I…I…" Hiccup said, fresh new tears forming.

"You…I don't want you anywhere near Sarah!" she yelled, still clutching the girl, who was still inconsolable and could not hear what was happened around her. "If I so much as see you…I'll hand you over to the chief of this our village." She threatened.

"No, but – " Hiccup began.

"_Leave_!" she yelled, her hand pushed forward for emphasis, before hugging her daughter once more.

Hiccup scrambled to stand up and ran. Jack followed, not believe everything that had transpired. His mother, his own mother, blamed Hiccup, his best friend who wasn't even there, for his death. If there was anyone to blame for Jack's death, he knew it was himself.

Hiccup ran and ran, stumbling a couple of times and even landed face first into the snow once, but he kept running. He stopped suddenly, and fell down on his hands and knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Jack could only watch miserably.

"All my fault, all my fault…" Hiccup kept mumbling to himself as he struck the ground with his fists. Jack remembered when Hiccup was in the glacier, when he seemed to say the same thing as well. Realization dawned on Jack. The death Hiccup was telling the black dragon was his own.

Hiccup got up, rubbing his eyes furiously, as he walked forward, Jack saw that in front of him was the lake Jack himself had drowned. Hiccup looked at the shimmering surface, broken only by a fairly large hole found on one edge.

"All my fault…" Hiccup said once again. He was standing at the very edge of the snow, looking at the hole in the ice. One glance at the boy's eyes, and Jack realized what he was planning to do.

"No!" He yelled.

Hiccup placed one foot on the ice, producing a large crack.

Before he could see whether he fell in, the image in front of Jack faded. A different image was forming now, and it was night time. He sighed in relief. If he was still inside the Hiccup's memories, then it meant that he lived past Jack's death.

The memories he was going through no longer featured him, because he was already dead. The memories this time were more vivid, and were more closely linked to each other. In them, Jack saw that Hiccup had remained the laughing stock and outcast of the northern village, and yet he still sought to make his mark among the Vikings.

He watched on Hiccup the night of the dragon raid, when he managed to shoot one from the sky, but was attacked by one in turn. He watched as Hiccup struggled with himself whether to kill the downed dragon, and instead set it free. He saw his father force Hiccup to attend dragon fighting class.

In class, he saw how Hiccup was easily singled out by his classmates, taunting him for 'falsely' claiming he had shot down a dragon. Jack was troubled that Hiccup seemed distant and alone to the village, and yet he desperately tried to make his mark, to be accepted by his people. This Hiccup was different from the one who played with Jack in the snow. Judging by how the villagers, and even his own dad, treated him, Jack realized that Hiccup's detached attitude but persistent efforts to be accepted were a product of seeing his only friend die, leaving him alone.

Jack felt guilty for that.

He followed Hiccup again into the woods, when he encountered the dragon again, learning that he could not fly because he had lost a tail fin, probably due to falling. He watched in amazement how Hiccup tried to get close to the dragon and was awarded when the reptile pushed his muzzle to the boy's outstretched palm.

He watched as Hiccup continued to get close to the dragon, and spent a night making a new tail for him, and even working on how to fly him. He saw Hiccup name the dragon 'Toothless', which Jack didn't know whether to laugh at its simplicity or shake his head at its lame-ness. He watched Hiccup and Toothless fly, and followed them to the clouds. He watched Hiccup when he realized that dragons were not harmful, and that they could be trusted. He was relieved that, even if it wasn't human, Hiccup had finally made a friend. He became more driven, focused, and would smile genuinely when with his dragon.

In dragon fighting, Jack saw how Hiccup used what he learned from Toothless in class to 'defeat' without causing harm to the dragons. He saw how he slowly rose from being the runt to the star pupil, becoming even more popular than the previous best, a girl named Astrid. Yet another turn of the tables for the boy.

But when the time came to decide who would claim the honour to kill their first dragon in front of the village, he knew Hiccup would be chosen. But judging by how the boy had grown to understand dragons more than he did people, Jack knew that Hiccup could not, would not, kill a dragon. Hiccup wanted to run away. He was surprised when the Astrid girl showed up when he was making preparations to leave.

Jack laughed out loud when Hiccup subtly threatened the girl so she would not tell on him, and he watched the two take flight into the clouds on Toothless. He followed them into the nest of the dragons, where they discovered the true reason why the dragons were raiding their village.

He saw Hiccup's resolve remain strong when Astrid questioned him about protecting Toothless, and he doubled over when the girl kissed him.

"Whoa!" He laughed. "Hic's got a girlfriend!"

The next day, he watched Hiccup try to prove to his village that they didn't have to fight dragons, a plan that backfired on him when Toothless came crashing in to save him, but was captured. He watched Hiccup try to talk to his dad, instead accidentally telling him how to get to the dragons nest. Jack's blood went cold (if that was even possible for a spirit) when Hiccup, in an effort to plead to his father to listen to him, was knocked down to the ground by St oick, and disown as a Viking, and as his son. Jack watched, frustrated that he could not do anything, as the boy remained sprawled on the ground, wiping his tears silently.

He listened in on Hiccup and Astrid's talk, and watched him teach the rest of the teens how to ride dragons, as they all put their trust on the petite Viking. He followed them to the dragon's nest, and watched in awe and amazement when Hiccup battled the mountain sized dragon in the sky, only him and his dragon. Much to his shock and horror, he saw Hiccup as he tried to escape the explosion that resulted from the giant dragon's crash, but was knocked off Toothless by their opponent's large tail. He saw – unable to do anything because he was a spirit and this already happened – Hiccup being engulfed in the explosion, Toothless racing after him into the flames. Then everything went dark.

He thought that that was the end of Hiccup's story, meaning that he had died in the explosion, but was surprised to see a new environment set in. Hiccup was sitting up in bed, wondering how Toothless could be inside the house. He watched, shocked, as Hiccup uncovered his lower body, revealing to both himself and the spirit that his left leg was no more, replaced by a metal rod.

He followed Hiccup outside, and smiled brightly when the villagers greeted him, no scorn or mocking in their voices, instead acknowledging him, treating him like a member of their village. He watched Hiccup ride Toothless again, noticing how both boy and dragon had a missing left limb. However, as Hiccup would mention later, it became a kind of connection for the two.

More memories faded in and out around Jack: Hiccup starting the Dragon Academy, his struggle to get the villagers to trust dragons, and in turn to trust him as the heir to the village. He watched as he was repeatedly captured by Alvin, the chief of a tribe known as the Outcasts. He saw Hiccup being targeted by the tribe, tricked by an old man named Mildrew into teaching him the secrets to dragon training.

Finally, one memory surfaced out to Jack. It was clear and vivid around him, and he assumed it was probably because this memory was significant. Significant to Hiccup or to Jack (considering it was MiM that wanted him to learn of the dragon rider), the latter was not sure.

All the Vikings were gathered in the Great Hall, and there was tention in the air. Stoick was at the head of the table, looking down sceptically at his son standing beside him. Hiccup, on the other hand, looked angry. Livid, even.

"We can't just leave them to fend for themselves!" Hiccup yelled, slamming a fist angrily to the table in front of him. "The southern village doesn't have the means to fight off dragons."

Jack was taken aback. His village? Was it under attack? By dragons?

"I don't understand why you're so determined to help them, Hiccup." Stoick said. "It's none of our business."

"He's right!" yelled a Viking from the other side of the room. "We've never had an alliance with them, what makes us have to go and protect them?"

"Its' our fault!" Hiccup snapped. "Alvin's attacking them so he can get to us. He's using dragons because he knows we haven't revealed our secrets to dragon training to other villages. Its' our mess, we should be the one to clean it up." Hiccup seethed, and Jack wondered if his conviction steamed from his own sense of guilt.

"That's enough, Hiccup." Stoick ordered, and the boy fell silent and eyed the ground. "As much as you want to help them, I am not going to risk our village for your plea."

"But – "

"End of discussion, Hiccup." Stoick hissed, then turned to the rest of the Vikings. "The meeting is adjourned." Vikings filed out of the room, probably to return to their daily routine. Hiccup stood at the table, his head bowed, small frame shaking slightly, and Jack wasn't sure if he was about to burst into tears or throw an angry fit.

Astrid walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup…I don't want to sound offensive, but why do you want to help the southern village?" Behind her, the rest of the teenage Vikings stood, watching Hiccup.

"I was wondering the same thing." Stoick had stayed as well, and looked at his son. Hiccup shook his head, and leaned on the table in front of him with both palms.

"Back when I was kid, I had a friend there." Hiccup began, earning gasps of surprise from his father and friends. Jack, of course, understood who he meant, and watched the scene unfold, fascinated.

"Hiccup," his father asked, voice low. "You had a friend there? You were supposed to stay away from the southern village! They have no business with us!"

"I was a kid, dad!" Hiccup yelled defiantly, pinning his father with a glare so fierce, the large man took a step back. "No one paid attention to me, you were always away battling dragons, I couldn't even approach anyone my age without getting kicked to the dirt. What did you expect? I talk to a tree?"

Astrid exchanged glances guiltily with the rest of the teens. Although it was a thing of the past and he had forgiven them for it, how they used to treat him could not be erased from Hiccup's background. She tentatively laid a hand on his arm, and he turned towards her, his eyes blazing.

"Hiccup…you said 'had'. What…what happened to him?" She asked softly, trying to redirect his anger.

"It was my fault." Hiccup shook his head again, trying to clear his thoughts. "I let him die because I wasn't there. I should've! I should've been there and…" He trailed off.

A different gleam showed on his eyes. Jack started to worry.

"I should be there. " He muttered to himself, and Jack's eyes widened when he realized what Hiccup was about to do. "That's it!"

Hiccup promptly turned from his father and friends, detaching himself from Astrid's hold, and ran out of the hall. Toothless was waiting outside, and as soon as seeing Hiccup's face, he knew what the boy wanted to do and where to go. Jumping on his back, they shot to the sky. Astrid, Stoick and the rest of the teens, having just ran out in pursuit of him, could only stare as he flew away towards the direction of the southern village.

"This is getting interesting." Jack thought. He still remembered, through Hiccup's memories, the last time Hiccup was in the southern village's vicinity, when he had died. Would he run into his sister again?

At that thought, Jack was suddenly worried. His sister and his mother, where were they during this Outcasts' raid? Were they safe?

Following the Night Fury to his home, Jack stared down in shock and anger at the state it had become. Fires burned everywhere, casting an eerie glow to the village. Dragons were wrecking houses, slashing it to pieces or spraying either fire or hot water to it.

In what he remembered was the village square were the villagers, huddled together in fear. On a raised platform where auctions used to take place stood a large man, larger than Stoick even, with unruly black hair and an evil grin.

"Alvin." Hiccup hissed, before diving down. Toothless shot fire to other dragons, forcing them to retreat, tossing their own riders away. Boy and rider circled the village, attacking enemy dragons and outcasts.

Jack saw Alvin look up to the sky, and, upon seeing Hiccup atop Toothless, ordered the rest of the dragons to take flight and attack the boy. Following orders, a dozen dragons flew above and encircled Toothless on all sides.

To his horror, Hiccup slipped down from Toothless's back, and was falling headfirst into the ground, disorienting their attackers. Toothless dove after him, and caught the boy. It was enough of a distraction for the rest of the dragons, when several balls of fire hurled their way, knocking them out from the sky.

Jack saw the same time Hiccup did where the flames came from. In the distance were a few dragons that were not from Alvin's army: A Deadly Nadder, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Gronkle, a Zippleback and even a Thunder Drum. Jack knew that they were the dragons of his friends and father.

"You guys! I didn't ask you to come." Hiccup shouted, but a grateful smile was on his face.

"We're your friends, Hiccup." Astrid shouted back. Together, all of them proceeded to fight the rest of the dragons off, using the skills they learned in the ring. Hiccup led them, forming battle formations and dividing them into teams to attack various enemy dragons.

Jack made note that Hiccup, from the awkward boy he when they met, to the distant teenager he became before Toothless, had grown to a leader, and he knew that the young Viking would make a great chief of Berk. Jack wondered if he'd be able see that day unfold in Hiccup's memories.

He was proven wrong.

Staring down at the villagers who watched the battle above them, Jack saw Alvin angrily pull a young brunette girl, around twelve years old, from a woman's arms and held a knife to her throat.

"Hiccup!" He roared to the sky, and the young boy turned his attention to him. "Get down here and fight me, one on one, unless you want this girl's head removed from her body."

Jack moved closer to the girl, finding her familiar. Then he was frozen solid.

"No." Hiccup's eyes widened, making the same realization Jack did, and his face grew angry. He turned to Astrid beside him, sending her a silent message, which she understood. He flew down to the ground, jumped off of Toothless and faced Alvin. Astrid and her dragon, Stormfly, flew away to behind some trees where they disappeared.

"You want me? Here I am." Hiccup said, holding his hands out to show that he did not have any weapons. "Now let Sarah go."

"Hiccup…" Gasped a woman from the crowd, and Jack was stumped when he recognized her to be his mother. "You…you're the dragon rider?"

Hiccup's eyes flickered to her momentarily, then settled back to the frightened girl who whimpered as Alvin pressed the knife harder to her neck.

"Let her go, Alvin." Hiccup repeated, walking nearer and nearer to them until he was only an arm's length away. "It's alright, Sarah. Leave this to me."

"Oh, you know her? Well, this makes it much more interesting." Alvin laughed. But he was not aware, that, behind him, Astrid held a large plank of wood.

Two things happened at once. Astrid hit the back of Alvin's head, disorienting him. Hiccup leaped forward, pulling Alvin's hand away from the girl, and simultaneously pulling Sarah away and pushing her to her mother.

"Toothless, now!" Hiccup yelled, and the black dragon let out a blast of fire at the man, not enough to cause a serious fire, but to knock him out. Unfortunately, a Whispering Death, probably Alvin's dragon, pushed him away, burrowing underground.

"Astrid! Get them to safety!" Hiccup yelled to his second in command, who nodded.

"Hiccup!" a young voice called, and Hiccup turned to the huddled up villagers to see Sarah in her mother's arms. Hiccup's eyes softened.

"Its okay, Sarah. Everything will be fine." Jack saw the Viking's eyes drift to his mother, and his voice turned serious. "I let Jack die. I'm not going to let that happen to anyone ever again. Not while I still breathe." Then Toothless shot to the sky.

Jack couldn't help but stare at his sister and mother. They seemed so different, now that he remembered. His mother had a few white strands in her hair now, and her face seemed older, and more solemn, no doubt a product of losing her only son. His sister however, had longer hair now, tied to a braid down the side of her back, with the short strands pushed to the side like when she was younger.

"I'm glad to see you're safe." Jack addressed his family, even though he knew they couldn't hear him. He smiled sadly, realizing that he was content to know that they were alright, years after he had died.

Jack shook his head. He wasn't here to see his family. He was here to learn about Hiccup.

Shaking his head, Jack flew up to the sky to watch Hiccup on Toothless, battling Alvin on his own dragon. But because Alvin was crueller to his dragon, he did not hold back when fighting, so Hiccup and Toothless were on the defensive, and it was not going well for them. Jack could see in Hiccup's expression that he was getting frustrated, and at the same time desperate to defeat Alvin and put an end to his reign of terror.

But then, Toothless took a hard blow. Alvin's dragon shot fire at Toothless' tail fin, igniting his prosthetic. Hiccup cursed, and Jack knew that it would not be easy for them to recover, and he was dreading the result of this battle. Alvin gave chase to the boy, but with the prosthetic quickly burning away, Toothless' movements were increasingly uncontrollable, and soon they would drop to the ground.

Jack saw Hiccup whisper something into his dragon's ear, and Jack, being a bit close, could almost make out the words on his mouth. The dragon looked up at his rider, putting all his trust on the boy. Releasing his foot, Hiccup stood on Toothless' saddle and faced back to Alvin. He pulled his small dagger out of his belt, and Jack saw him breathe deeply.

"It ends here, Alvin!" Hiccup yelled it like a battle cry. Toothless stopped flying and continued to hover, allowing Alvin's Whispering Death to come closer. When they were near, Hiccup ran the length of Toothless body, and with a little push from his dragon, launched himself towards Alvin.

The Whispering Death had its teeth barred to swallow the boy, but Toothless promptly turned around and shot fire inside the dragon's mouth, igniting the gas in its body. Hiccup landed on Alvin, his dagger aimed to stab the man in the heart. But Alvin caught Hiccup's hand mid-air and forced the dagger from his hand.

The Whispering Death howled, in pain or rage, Jack was not sure, and with a flick of its body, Hiccup tumbled off him, falling to the earth. Alvin, somehow, managed to hang on. The dragon, in a last attempt for revenge, launched its fangs into Toothless' left wing, leaving a large tear, before it exploded, taking his master along with him.

Both Hiccup and Toothless pummelled to the earth. Jack panicked and flew towards them, trying to see why they weren't moving as they fell. He was filled with terror when he saw that Toothless' eyes were closed, and a bloody gash was on his body. The Whispering Death must've been able to strike him. Hiccup's eyes were closed too, but his face was serene, as if he knew what was going to happen and accepted it.

"No…" Jack muttered, willing himself to fly faster, forgetting that this was not real and only a flashback. But he knew that at the rate Hiccup and his dragon were falling, there was no way he could survive if he made contact with the ground headfirst.

"Hiccup!" Astrid screamed, getting on her dragon and flying as fast as she could towards them.

But as Hiccup neared the ground, gaining speed, Jack knew that neither he nor Astrid could make it in time. As Hiccup disappeared through the trees and a loud thud was heard, several voices desperately screamed for the boy, but Jack couldn't hear any of them over the sound of his own, screaming Hiccup's name.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Jack yelled. He stopped when he saw that he was no longer in any of his memories. He was on a glacier near the North Pole, right where he was sitting when he opened the box. Baby Tooth flew in front of him worriedly, probably surprised by his sudden outburst.

Calming his nerves so as not to cause Baby Tooth to worry, he tried to smile at her, but it ended up looking like a grimace.

"I found what I was looking for…" He told her, staring at the tooth box in his hand. "…but I never expected to find what I did." Jack pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned back against a large block of ice.

Baby Tooth hovered above him questioningly.

"Hiccup was my best friend, before I became a spirit." Jack told Baby Tooth, though his gaze was directed to the ground, as if he was telling himself instead.

"We were together a lot and were practically inseparable. But he was the son of a tribe of Vikings on Berk, so no one knew that he was friends with me." He shook his head. He wasn't telling Baby Tooth what he saw anymore, he was telling her what he remembered. Seeing Hiccup's memories had triggered his own, and all the good times they had together came rushing back at him.

"He never told me that his village scorned him, which is why he spent most of his time with me. No one even took notice of when he was gone. I guess no one really cared for him."

Baby Tooth sat on the snow in front of him, listening as he told his tale. Jack did not give any indication that he noticed, instead staring at the face on the side of the memory box. "After I died, things didn't get any better for him. Until he met a dragon he named Toothless, and the dragon became his second friend, after me."

Jack clutched the memory box and shut his eyes. He wasn't sure why he was telling Baby Tooth all this, but it sat heavily on him. And he just wanted to get it out. "He saved his village with his dragon, and everyone finally befriended him. He managed to make his mark, and was finally accepted by them. He was already on his way to becoming the chief of Berk."

Jack's voice had started to waver, unable to hide the emotion he was starting to feel. He was not used to it, being the Guardian of fun. When had sadness ever been a part of who he was?

"One day, my village was attacked by a man named Alvin. Hiccup came to defend it, even though he was alone. My sister…he protected her. He flew into the air to fight Alvin, and he won, but…" Jack could not finish his sentence, his mind thinking over to the last memory he was in.

Hiccup defending his home village. Hiccup telling Sarah that he would save her. Hiccup promising his mother that he would not let a repeat of his death happen. Hiccup battling Alvin, and losing. Hiccup, pummelling to the ground with a peaceful face on him.

He remembered reading Hiccup's lips when he whispered to the dragon. '_This is it, buddy. Are you with me_?' Hiccup had said. He also remembered Hiccup shouting '_It ends here, Alvin_!' before jumping to attack. Jack realized what he meant by them.

At that moment, Hiccup had made the decision to die. He asked Toothless if he was with Hiccup, both knowing that they could not – would not – survive without the other. Hiccup was going to die, and he wanted to know that his dragon was going to go with him. Shouting at Alvin meant was not just telling him that he would end of his reign of terror, but it was his declaration of his resolve.

Before engaging Alvin in an aerial battle, Hiccup told his mother and sister that he would not let anyone die like Jack did as long as he could. The words alone were somewhat cliché, but Jack could read between the lines.

Hiccup would protect them, them and his own friends and family, even at the cost of his life.

Jack gave a tired sigh, bowing his head and shutting his eyes once more. Guilt was eating up at him. Guilt and regret. Guilt and regret for not being there, for leaving Hiccup alone, for having his best friend sacrifice his life, too, to save his mother and sister, and in turn, his village. Guilt that Hiccup never lived the life he could have.

Opening his eyes again, he did not stop the tears that formed and slowly dripped down his face. Baby Tooth rested on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort. Jack looked up to the sky, staring at what he knew was Man in the Moon.

"Why?" He whispered to the glowing orb. "What was the reason for showing me this? Why did I have to remember? What's the point?"

As usual, the moon gave no answer. Jack looked back to the ground, disappointed, and buried his head in his arms.

_'What was the point if I couldn't have done anything about it?'_

And for the first time since Hiccup's death, Jack mourned the loss of his best friend.

_- End of Part Two -_

* * *

_**So! Now you know the details. With the revelation of his best friend, what does Jack do now? And what did Manny intend for him to see the past of someone close to him? But if the young Viking and him truly were best friends, why did Jack not know of him sooner, during the battle with Pitch? The curtain drops on this story in the last chapter on a less depressing note...I hope. xD**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading, hope it wasn't too bad. Review if you feel like it, thanks! ^_^**_


	3. Comrades Beyond Lifetime

**_Finally! The last chapter! I'm so sorry if this was later than I planned, but I made some last minute changes. You'll see at the end. Just…yeah, I'm gonna stop right there. _**

**_Again, this is loosely based on the story of a youtube video "JackandHiccup *How to Save a Life*" by Left4Dead4Ever2, and I highly recommend watching it, its' pretty good._**

**Chapter Summary: ****_Realizing who the boy in his dreams were, Jack because detached and distracted. Aware of the mission Man in Moon has for the young winter spirit, North reassures the boy, reminding him that his old friend who would do the same. Accepting his mission, Jack finds out that Man in Moon's plan for him is not as simple as it first appeared to be. _**

**Warnings and Notes****_: Follows canon of How To Train Your Dragon and Riders of Berk, but is AU for HTTYD 2. Follows Rise of the Guardians plot but AU for Jack's background. Pre-Rise of The Brave Tangled Dragon plot. Also, for clarity's sake, Hiccup defeated the Red Death at age 16, and Jack died saving his sister at age 14. Slightly depressing, possible OOC, depending on how you view the characters. Mentions of HiccupxAstrid. Hiccup and Jack Frost bromance/friendship._**

**Disclaimer****_: The How To Train Your Dragon and Rise of the Guardians franchises both belong to Dreamworks and their respective owners. Basic storyplot by Left4Dead4Ever2. Teenage fanfiction writer here, nothing to see, move along._**

* * *

**PART 3 : ****COMRADES BEYOND LIFETIME**

"What're you trying to say, North?" Bunnymund asked, his arms crossed.

"There's more than meets the eye with this, this _nightmare_ problem." North explained. "Its almost as if Pitch is back."

"Back?" Toothiana said, horrified. "But, its only been a year since we drove him away. How can he be back?"

"A few months, actually, mate."

"But Manny has forewarned us. We need help and – " North paused to look over at a certain winter spirit. " – Jack?"

"Huh, what?" said guardian exclaimed. He was brooding, not really paying attention to their meeting again.

Bunnymund gave an irritated scowl. "Jack, this is important, and we need you to be in tip-top shape. If there's something wrong, do us all a favour and spit it out, mate." His words were harsh, but his voice was neutral.

"Jack…" Toothiana said, laying a gentle hand on his arm. "Is this connected to that memory box you borrowed?"

Jack looked around at the faces of the four other guardians. Toothiana, Sandy and Bunnymund had expressions of concern or mild worry for him. North, on the other hand, looked neutral, as if he understood what was happening.

"If you'll excuse us," he said, laying a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I think whatever's bothering Jack is something the two of us have to discuss. Privately."

Getting the hint, Jack stood up and followed North out of the guardians' meeting hall, leaving the other three to continue discussing the mission. He was led through the toy factory, smiling slightly at the contraptions being built. North led him to his personal office (if it could be called such) and shut the door, making sure that no sound from the outside came in, and vice versa.

Leaning back on a table in the center of the room, North crossed his arms and gazed at the winter spirit, waiting for him to talk.

Jack leaned against the closed door, stayed silent and fixed his gaze on the ground. His staff was held loosely in his right hand.

"Jack," North sighed. "Sandy tells me that you've been having strange dreams lately, sent by Man in Moon himself. What were they?"

"They were…" Jack gulped. "They were about a friend of mine, before I became a spirit. Someone who wasn't in my memories when I opened my own Tooth box."

"So you saw them when you opened someone else's?" Jack stared at him for a moment, and North shrugged. "Tooth told me."

"Well, yeah…" Jack continued. "Its' just that, he kept appearing in my dreams, but they didn't seem like dreams, and only when I saw his memories did I realized those dreams were my memories! But then…" Jack sighed, looking away. "If they were my memories, how come they never came then? Why only when I opened someone else's memories"

"You wonder why you did not remember your friend." It was not a question, but rather a statement looking for confirmation.

Jack sighed sadly, sliding down to sit on the floor. "We were such good friends, then. We were best friends. We trusted each other. If the memory box is supposed to contain all of my best memories, how come none was about our friendship?"

"I see what's wrong." North said after a pause. "You're ashamed and guilty to have forgotten someone you deem precious, the same way you felt neglected when children around the world did not believe in you."

Jack exhaled deeply, the words ringing true in his head. North had hit the bulls-eye. That was _exactly_ what he was feeling.

"How can I call myself a guardian if I forget my one best friend?" he whispered, burying his head in his crossed arms.

North gazed at the boy, a thoughtful frown on his face. After a few minutes, he decided that he had to break the ice.

"Jack." The winter spirit looked up at him. "Do you remember a few months ago, during the battle with Pitch, when you tried to get your memory box?"

Jack winced, remembering. "Yeah…it caused Bunnymund and everyone Easter. I ran away."

"You told us once what happened after you retreated to the South. Tell me again."

"Pitch confronted me." Jack said, not understanding where this was leading up to. "He wanted me to join him. I said no, and he snapped my staff and threw me down a valley."

"That was when you saw your memories, correct?" North continued, seemingly oblivious to the boy's confusion. "What did that do for you?"

"It…it made me realize, "Jack said slowly "that I was always meant to be a guardian…and it gave me courage to fight Pitch."

"Do you honestly think – " North's tone of voice was serious " – that Man in Moon allowed those things to happen to make things harder?" Jack stayed silent, so he decided to continue. "The time was not right for you to see your memories when you first recovered your memory box. That is why you had to pay the price. However, opening it at the right time, when you doubted yourself, gave you the strength to overcome your mistakes, and in turn, save us all from Pitch."

Jack remained silent, processing the information. He was never one to think of the past, the why's or how's or what if's, so he had never pondered on the events during the war with Pitch. But hearing it come from North, who was a more experienced guardian, made him realize that that, indeed, was what happened.

Connecting the dots, Jack looked up at North. "So you're saying that, the reason why I hadn't remembered my friend was because…it was not the right time?"

North smiled. "Man in Moon has many, mysterious ways on how he runs things with us spirits. But he does not do things unnecessarily. Learning about your friend would not have done you any good then, during the war. You are remembering it now for a reason." North reached a hand out, helping the boy up. He took the outstretched hand to stand up.

"But what reason, then?" Jack still asked, his gaze now wondering towards the window, staring at the night sky. The moon hung in the distance, casting a soft light into the room. Jack stared up at it in question, wondering whether perhaps MiM was looking down on him, too.

"I believe it is to reassure you." North said, gazing up at the moon himself.

"Reassure me?" Jack asked quietly, his stare remaining out the window.

"The mission he has for you now. He has instructed that you shall lead in defending against the remaining nightmares."

Jack faced North now, confusion on his face. "Okay. How?"

North sighed once again. "Like in the war with Pitch, he had tempted you with your fear of not being believed in. Things have changed, and your fear now is whether you can live up to the responsibilities of a guardian. Am I correct?"

Jack nodded. It was true, though he did his best to hide it, even from himself. Although he showed the rest of the guardians that he could be trusted, he was not sure whether he would be able to fulfil his duty as one of them. What if he wasn't good enough?

A part of him wondered, however, how North knew all these things about him. It was like he knew him better than he knew himself.

North continued. "It is not hard to read you, despite what you believe. These nightmares may tempt you again, but with fears of your own self-worth. This resurfaced memory of your friend, has it not made you realized that, if he were here today, surely, he would support you as a leader? That he would believe in you?"

"I thought you said that my fear about not being believed in has changed?"

"No, Jack." North explained. "I do not mean being believed in that you _existed_. I mean that he would believe in you as a _guardian and protector_?"

Jack fell silent once again, pondering the man's words. It was true. With Jamie and his friends believing in him as reality, he no longer worried about being forgotten. But his old friend Hiccup, he knew that he would put his faith and trust in Jack, had he been here today.

Jack could remember one memory, one that did not appear when he opened Hiccup's memory box, but resurfaced to Jack after.

* * *

_"I don't know, Hic. It's a lot harder than it looks." Jack said, crouching down and fiddling with his fingers._

_Hiccup smacked his forehead. "I swear to Odin, Jack…come on, since when was the great Jackson Overland a scared-y cat?" _

_"But –" Jack began, but was cut off by Hiccup's raised hand._

_"Look, Jack. You've got to have faith in yourself, like I have faith in you. You can do this, as long as you keep trying. You're a daredevil for a reason, and that reason is because you can do anything you set yourself to. That's what I believe."_

_Jack stayed silent, stunned by Hiccup's words. The younger boy only smiled in return._

_"You know I'll always be here, Jack. Even if you'll fail. I'll always stick by you…you're my friend, after all." _

_Jack couldn't help it. He threw himself to the boy, and Hiccup braced himself to be knocked to the ground. Instead, Jack had put his arms around the boy, and with a smile, Hiccup returned the hug._

_"Thanks, Hic." Jack whispered._

_"Anytime."_

* * *

He shook his head, smiling. He forgot what he had been so nervous about then, but that didn't matter now. He remembered Hiccup's words, reassuring him, putting his faith in him.

North was right. If Hiccup were alive today, he'd tell Jack the same thing. Those words he said were true, and, even if he was gone, they would always remain true. Jack sighed, releasing all the fear, doubt and guilt in him, allowing him to accept what North had said.

"You're right." Jack told North, and the man smiled at the boy as well. "If there's anything I should be doing right now, it should be my job. And that's to be a guardian and the protector of fun. He would want me to do that."

Jack looked so confident and happy, unlike the young, doubtful spirit he seemed to be the past few days, that North could not help himself. He scooped the boy up in a manly hug, before setting him back down and grinning at him.

"It is good to see that you are back to yourself, Jack. All this will make you stronger, which is what Man in Moon must've intended." He said.

Jack gave a laugh. "You must be right – "

"_Hello? Is this thing on?_" Came Toothiana's voice over a speaker. Jack figured that North had one installed in his office in case of emergency.

"_Oh, well. To North and Jack, if you can hear me, sorry if I'm interrupting something, but, well…_" Her voice paused for a moment, until finally "_…he's __**here**__._"

North muttered something about 'him' being too early, and he searched frantically through the contraptions in his office before finding some kind of microphone.

"Alright, we'll be there to meet him in a moment." North said, and his voice sounded on the intercom too.

"Who's this 'he' that you speak of?" Jack asked, curious. "And why is 'he' here?"

North looked at the boy, before realizing that he had not told Jack yet. He motioned for the boy to follow him out the door.

"It is regarding your mission to eliminate the nightmares, Jack." North explained as they left the room. "There is more to it than meets the eye, but Man in Moon has instructed that you shall lead in finding out their true purpose, and stop them."

Jack stared curiously, not fully understanding. "When you say 'lead', do you mean lead the guardians?"

"No, Jack." North answered. "We shall support, but MiM has made it clear that it is not our battle. It is yours. You will have to be the leader."

Jack's eyes widened. "Me? Lead? I…" he trailed off, remembering their talk earlier. He could do this. The guardians believed in him, and so did his friend from his past life.

"Yes, Jack, but you will not be alone. We shall help, but Man in Moon will aid you with a new ally. Manny has shown him the way here." North said. They were near the door leading to the guardian's meeting place, and he knew that their visitor was waiting on the other side.

"So, you mean that this 'him' is going to be an...an ally? But I'll have to lead him?" Jack asked, bewildered. He suddenly regretted not paying attention to their past few meetings. Now, he was unprepared.

"Yes, and hopefully, a comrade." They were in front of the door to the room where Jack's 'ally' was, but they did not open it yet. North stared down at the boy, sighing.

"Now, what did we just talk about earlier?" North said, reprimanding him a bit.

Jack shook his head. "Sorry. Old habits die hard. Oh, but North…" he looked up to the man. "Thank you."

North smiled down at the boy. "Anytime, Jack. It is always a pleasure to help a fellow guardian."

Jack laughed lightly. "You know, you remind me of my friend. Except for the white hair and all the red stuff."

It was North's turn to laugh. "Well, most people associate me with that. Say, what was the name of this friend of yours?"

"His name was Hiccup." Jack laughed again, a hand already on the door to push it open. "Anyway, maybe we should go and meet this 'him' you all speak about. And we're to get along for this, then I wouldn't want to be rude."

North, on the other hand stood stock still, his expression one of shock. "You say…" He began in a flat voice "that your friend's name is **_Hiccup_**?"

Jack nodded with a smile, oblivious to the change in mood of the larger man. "I know, weird name, huh? I always wondered how he could introduce himself with a straight face."

Jack pushed the doors through, and saw Toothiana, Bunnymund and Sandman conversing with someone in the center of the room. Said person had his to the winter spirit, and Jack assumed that he was the one to be his teammate. He frowned slightly, when he saw that the person seemed irritated at what the other guardians had to say, scoffing lightly and crossing his arms.

Behind Jack, North had entered as well. "It seems MiM had a different reason for your memories._" _He muttered.

Jack turned to face the man, utter confusion on his face, but North looked just as lost as he was.

"Wait, hold on. What do you – "

"_Jokul Frosti_?"

Jack spun around to where the voice came from, recognizing it. The sight in front of him froze him in place, his eyes wide and his hand clenching his staff tightly to his torso.

The person the rest of the guardians were speaking to was facing him. He looked to be a teenager, around Jack's age. He wore a dull green long sleeved shirt, dark brown leggings and a strange vest with shoulder paddings. But what stood out the most were his feet; his right fashioned a fur lined boot, but his left leg, from the knee down, was a crudely made metal prosthetic limb.

But the winter spirit paid attention more to the boy's brown hair, freckled skin, blank face and solemn, green eyes that stared back at him. The boy walked closer to Jack until they were an arm's length away.

"Sorry if I startled you, especially with your ancient Norse name...I'm more used to it, apparently because I was a Viking." He gave a shrug. "Or so I've been told. I honestly can't remember anything, really, from my past life."

In the corner of the room, Jack saw a large, black reptile regard him gravely. His slanted pupils dilated into round ones, the same way they had at Jack hundreds of years ago on a large glacier.

But Jack was still stunned and could not move. The boy, however, smiled slightly, oblivious to Jack's unnerved posture or shocked face.

"Anyway, I've been told that I have to help you with some mission against evil yada-yada." He rolled his eyes, glancing back at three fidgeting guardians behind him. "I don't know what a ghost like me can do that a winter spirit cannot, but according to these guys, I _have_ to help. But first, I think I should introduce myself."

He held out a hand to the winter spirit, offering a friendly shake.

_'For the love of – MiM, if there's a reason for all this, and I know there is, now would be a good time to speak up! Please?'_

"My name's Hiccup. I don't really know what's going on, but it's nice to meet you, Jack Frost."

_- End of Part Three -_

* * *

**_And that, dear reader, is the end of 'Catching Up With The Past'. Honestly, I did a last minute edit on this chapter. Originally, it was supposed to end as Hiccup being the autumn spirit, but then that would make it a RotBTD fic. Not that I don't like that fandom, I love it, actually, but I felt that this story should stand out more as an independent RotG x HTTYD story._**

**_For those who are confused with the ending, Hiccup isn't a spirit like Jack. He's a ghost, totally different. Which is also why he's still wearing his old Viking outfit. Whether he's been a ghost since his death before he can remember or was just resurrected or something, is open for you to interpret. But he doesn't have his memories, though. _**

**_Now, with that ending, I'm honestly considering turning this into a full fic. With plot and all. But, well, my second semester in college has started, so I don't know if I could work it out. I really want to, though. Meh, we'll see._**

**_Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who's ever read this fic, especially those who fav-ed, alerted or reviewed this fic. I'm glad someone actually appreciated it. But most especially, I would love to thank and give a shoutout to Left4Dead4Ever for allowing me to use his basic story plot! I swear, that video was what brought tears to my eyes and pulled me into this fandom. Thank you so much, Left4Dead4Ever! =)_**

**_Review if you wanna. Thanks for taking the time! ^_^ See you in the next fic (Hopefully. Maybe.)._**


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